What if players were only permitted to stay with the team that originally made them a professional? No trades, no Rule-5 Draft, no minor or major league free agency ... once you are a professional baseball player, you stay in that organization. This series shows how all 30 teams would look. We give you: Homegrown teams.To view the schedule/past entries of this feature, click here.

Do the Dodgers do well in drafts and international signings? The answer is a resounding yes. What they do with those players could certainly be questioned, but as far as building a foundation, few have been better in recent years. See below.

If you don't like us using Kuroda -- some commenters have disagreed with including guys who were professional players in Japan in this series -- you can slide in James McDonald or the youngster Rubby De La Rosa.

Spoiler Alert: This section is going to be much longer than "what's not." How about starting with the offensive firepower Victorino, Kemp, Konerko, Beltre and Santana bring in the 2-6 spots of the order? That is sick. Gordon has good potential and Gutierrez was a decent hitter before his stomach issues derailed him a few years ago. The starting rotation is good, deep, has a good lefty-righty mix and a true ace sitting at the top. The bullpen is so deep it's unimaginable. It's not as great as the Yankees' bullpen (Clippard-Robertson-Axford-Rivera) in this exercise, but this is definitely an elite unit. The bench is pretty damn good, too. Best of all, though, how about the defensive range? Gutierrez was widely considered the best center fielder in baseball before his stomach woes. Victorino is a three-time Gold Glover while he lost out to Kemp this season. I decided to shift Kemp to left because Victorino has a cannon that is an asset in right. Not that Kemp can't throw. This would be one insane defensive outfield. Beltre is the best defensive third baseman in baseball, too. That's a lot of help for an already-good pitching staff.

What's Not?

Anything would be a nitpick. Maybe that Dee Gordon might not yet be ready to lead off for this team? If that was the case, you could move up Victorino and then the bottom of the order becomes a bit weak. But, again, that's a nitpick.

Comparison to real 2011

I kind of chuckled during all the MVP arguments when people would say that Kemp played for a team that "sucks." The Dodgers finished 82-79. Yes, they were out of contention for pretty much all of the season, but they finished above .500, so they definitely don't suck. Of course, those real-life Dodgers couldn't hold a candle to this group. This is a World Series-caliber club, but the funny thing is, did you see Arizona's team? The D-Backs lineup is much better, but the Dodgers have the better defense and pitching. We'd have a nice battle for the NL West title and maybe even see a rematch in the NLCS. If only ...

Thursday was the first day free agents could talk to other organizations, but it was quiet overall. It makes sense, given it was just the first day they could even discuss anything and there's got to be a time to negotiate. Still, we did see two signings. The first was Juan Rivera re-signing with the Dodgers. The other? None other than backup catcher Henry Blanco, who re-signs with Arizona.

The D-Backs announced the move Thursday night, reporting they've given Blanco a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2013. Blanco had previously declined his end of a mutual option for 2012. Blanco's new deal will pay him $1.2 million in '12 (Jon Heyman via Twitter).

Blanco, 40, hit .250/.330/.540 with eight home runs in 112 plate appearances in 2011, but he's not on the team for offense. He works really well with pitchers and teamed with Miguel Montero to lead the majors in throwing out 37.1 percent of opposing base-stealers.

So, yeah, it's been quite the heart-stopping day in free agency, no? Don't hold your breath waiting for a more exciting day Friday, but you never know.

As baseball readies for free agency, numerous decisions on options are being made. Those either free up players to hit the market or tie them to their 2011 club for one more season. Sunday's list is right here. Let's take a look at what happened Monday...

The Red Sox are moving on from relievers Scott Atchinson and Dan Wheeler, declining each's option. Atchinson remains with the team due to service-time constraints, but will be officially non-tendered shortly.

The Cubs passed on exercising Jeff Samardzija's $3 million option, but the reliever is expected to resign at a lesser salary and compete for a rotation spot.

The Diamondbacks declined the options of Zach Duke and Aaron Hill, which was a no-brainer. Willie Bloomquist and Henry Blanco saw 'Zona exercise their half of a mutual option, and Blanco has yet to make his decision. (MLB.com) Bloomquist declined his end, becoming a free agent. He wants a multiyear deal to return, and he'll probably find a team willing to give it to him. (MLB.com)

The Padres declined options on three: starter Aaron Harang, outfielder Brad Hawpe and reliever Chad Qualls. Harang could return to the team on a lesser salary than the $5 million he would have otherwise earned in 2012. Hawpe seems like a goner, and Qualls should get a nice deal somewhere even though he wasn't worth the $6 million he had in his contract for 2012.

The Braves picked up infielder-outfielder Eric Hinske's $1.5 million option. Center fielder Nate McLouth, however, will hit the free agent market as his $10.65 million option was dropped.

Nobody expected much from the Diamondbacks and even when they did surprise by leading the National League West, nobody thought they could hold off the Giants. Not only did they hold off the defending champs, they left them in the dust. The Diamondbacks were ruthless in making decisions early in the season, demoting or just flat-out getting rid of players that didn't produce, like Armando Galarraga, Barry Enright, Wade Miley and Russell Branyan. The Diamondbacks won 16 of 18 in late August and early September, while Ian Kennedy became a legitimate Cy Young candidate. The team also discovered it has the makings of a stout rotation with Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Joe Saunders and Josh Collmenter. They even survived the season-ending injury to Stephen Drew, winning despite his absence.

2012 AUDIT

The Diamondbacks are in a pretty good situation. So it seems they have some good, young talent that's not going to cost too much -- something that's very important to the Diamondbacks' front office. The team that they have should only get better and develop. There are small spots to fill, but nothing huge. And with Stephen Drew coming back, the team should be even better than they were in the playoffs.

Remember last offseason when the Diamondbacks were listening to offers for Justin Upton? Don't do that.

Hill was acquired in a change-of-scenry trade with the Blue Jays in August and it seemed to work for both teams. Hill played well for the Diamondbacks -- but not $8 million well. The team should decline his option, but see if he'd entertain an offer for less. The other side of that trade, Kelly Johnson, talked about returning at a discounted price. If Hill's not interested in coming back on the cheap, Johnson may be.

The team could upgrade in left field, but that's not a pressing need. And even if it were, there's not a lot of money to spend on the likes of Josh Willingham. There should be enough on the non-tender scrap pile to bring in competition for the spring and push Gerardo Parra.

There's a lot of talk about the White Sox trying to trade Carlos Quentin -- at least listen and see how desperate they are to get rid of him. If they take the bulk of his contract, he wouldn't be a bad fit to put in left.

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports via Twitter that the Diamondbacks have agreed on a $1.05 million deal with utility man Willie Bloomquist or 2011 with a mutual option for 2012.

Bloomquist, 33, was traded from the Royals to the Reds in September and put up a combined 2010 line of .267/.299/.380. He's the ultimate utility player, having played every position on the field other than pitcher and catcher each of the past three years. He's not a big hitter (just 13 career homers in more than 2,000 plate appearances), but is a versatile defender and a speedy pinch-runner.

The Blanco signing is not a surprise, as there has been interest between the two parties. Blanco hit .215/.271/.300 in 144 plate appearances for the Mets in 2010. He can't hit much anymore but is still a strong defender and leader at age 39.

Meanwhile, Nady (pictured) will be platooning with Juan Miranda at first base and Gerardo Parra in left. Nady hit just .256/.306/.353 in 347 plate appearances after missing a year thanks to Tommy John surgery. However, in 2008, Nady bashed 25 home runs and hit .305/.357/.510 between the Pirates and Yankees.

While the Diamondbacks hope to contend, it seems abundantly clear that GM Kevin Towers is just plugging the gap with average veterans as he attempts to rebuild the team in his image and wait for minor-league prospects to hit the show.